LONDON/BRUSSELS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has activated its aviation security information-sharing mechanism following a series of threats against passenger flights across Europe, the European Commission told Xinhua on Thursday.
At a press conference in Dublin, Ireland, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, said that it was too early to determine whether the reported incidents were linked, adding that there was no information yet to establish whether a cyberattack was involved.
"Any threats against civilians are unacceptable. Ensuring the safety and security of citizens remains a priority," he said.
The commissioner said the EU was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with the affected member states. He added that he had been in contact with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency earlier in the day to discuss potential aviation safety implications of the recent incidents.
Tzitzikostas stressed that the responsibility for assessing security threats, investigating incidents and implementing appropriate aviation security measures rested primarily with national authorities, working in cooperation with airport operators, airlines and law enforcement agencies.
National investigations into the incidents remain ongoing, he said.
More than a dozen passenger flights across Europe received bomb threats on Thursday, forcing several aircraft to divert and prompting security checks at airports in multiple countries. ■
